Best of The Burbs 2014

Best Restaurant

Foundation Social Eatery (FSE)
1570 Holcomb Bridge Rd. Suite 810
Roswell, GA. 30076
Tel: 770.641.8877
Who remembers Asher? Oh, I agree. It was the best restaurant in the burbs, ever. But FSE could very well be the best restaurant to open in the burbs since. Owner chef Mel Toledo’s resume reads like a who’s who of the local, national and international culinary world, and it shows in his cooking, which comes across very rustic. But he achieves such depth in a simple lamb ragout, first-time diners often find themselves in a state of blissful bewilderment. A lightly battered octopus tentacle arrives fork tender and is unquestionably Spanish in flavor, but like most of Toledo’s dishes, is unmistakably French in so many ways; that very French Foundation that keeps him grounded. And you’ll be pleased with the intown quality service and beverage program this rare gem in the suburbs offers. Best New Restaurant

Best New Restaurant

Foundation Social Eatery (FSE)
1570 Holcomb Bridge Rd. Suite 810
Roswell, GA. 30076
Tel: 770.641.8877
We’ve deemed it best over all restaurant and it only opened this past Spring, so it being dubbed “Best New Restaurant” should come as no surprise. This restaurant has the hip intown decor, but much like the food, isn’t the least bit pretentious. FSE has been a hit from the first day it opened. And at year’s end, it remains the best restaurant in the burbs since Todd Ginsberg headed up the kitchen at a little place in Roswell called, Asher.

Most Improved Restaurant

Common Quarter
1205 Johnson Ferry Road #101
Marietta, GA 30068
Tel: 678.809.4040
If you visited this restaurant within the first sixty days of it opening, you probably want to make a revisit. There are new chefs, the menu is reworked (for the better) and the staff seems to be clicking on all cylinders these days. Dry meatloaf and bland chicken pot pie didn’t make the new menu, but fun dishes like Take-Out Chinese, their version of Cantonese barbecue, are now menu staples. And of course, the beer list, beverage program and service are all top notch. Equal to that of sister restaurants: Local Three and Muss & Turner’s. While it is not the best restaurant in the burbs (though it was a close call) it is without question the best restaurant in East Cobb.

Best Gastropub

Peach & the Porkchop
12040 Etris Road D100
Roswell, GA 30075
Tel: 770.696.5409
This newly opened Roswell gastropub hasn’t even been open ninety days yet it has reached rock star status, and was a serious contender for “Best New Restaurant” honors. The pork belly appetizer is a must, and the “Zimbo Dip” and “Roswell Cheesesteak” are slam dunks. Even the haricot verts and brussel sprouts are praise worthy, finished in a luscious layer of duck fat. This is the kind of restaurant that everybody in the business wants to open one day, and the kind of place we all want to have in our neighborhood.

Best Specialty Food Shop

Plantation Italia
5155 Atlanta Highway #105
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Tel: 770.475.7060
Ready to get your food geek on? Well, this little Alpharetta Italian specialty shop is the place for you. Some items on the shelf, such as truffle oil, carry steep price tags — but for good reason. The truffle oils found on these shelves aren’t that cheap, gimmicky, fake-truffle-flavored junk (2-4 dithiapentane) you find at most grocery stores, it’s the real deal. So put away the nitroglycerin tablets and splurge a little. You will also find high quality olive oils, beautiful balsamic vinegars, imported Italian pastas, fun fig glazes, san marzano tomatoes, Italian sausages, fresh creamy mozzarella, hard-to-find Dietz & Watson deli meats, and the best damn stromboli this side of the Mason-Dixon line. And a whole bunch more.

Best Cuban Cuisine

Mambo’s Cafe
4915 Windward Parkway #130
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Tel: 770.753.4354
In most of these “Best Cuban” usually means Cuban sandwich. Not in this case. Killer beef empanadas and other traditional offerings, such as masas de puerco and ropa vieja steal the show. Nothing has changed but the ambience — for the better if you ask me — since the move from downtown Alpharetta north to Windward Parkway.

Best Bagels

BB’s Bagels
770 McFarland Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Tel: 770.475.1818
BB’s originally stood for “Bitchin’ Bagels” but was changed to Bronx Bagels, somewhere along the way. Who cares what they call it? These shiny-skinned, kettle-boiled and baked beauties are the best bagels in all the Atlanta area, by a mile. And, it’s all served up with good old fashioned, truly authentic we-don’t-take-no-shit Bronx attitude.

Best Stromboli

Plantation Italia
5155 Atlanta Highway #105
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Tel: 770.475.7060
This stromboli will blow your mind, stuffed with layers of pepperoni, salami and spicy coppa. Then topped off with provolone and feshly grated mozzarella. The airy crust is razor thin and crispy, yet somehow sturdy enough to hold it all together. This beauty tastes as if it comes straight off the streets of New York city, and priced as if shipping were included.

Best Bar Bite

Hop Alley Brew & Pub
25 South Main Street,
Alpharetta, GA 30009
(770) 696-209
This downtown Alpharetta brew pub made plenty of noise when it first opened, but has now quietly settled into it’s groove under owner brewer Brandon Hintz. The deep-fried Wisconsin-style cheese curds found here are the best anywhere in the city, by a long shot, and they come with an insanely addictive cheesy beer dipping sauce. Beer me!

Best Brew Pub

5 Seasons Brewing
3655 Old Milton Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30005
Tel: 770.521.5551
This big warm ski lodge-looking brew pub was among the first in the burbs to offer up sustainably raised, local ingredients, all of which go along with brewer Crawford Moran’s fresh, eclectic house-made beers. Menu favorites such as shrimp and grit cakes and ropa vieja are difficult to pass up, but the specials menu doesn’t make choosing any easier with things like ossabaw pork and extremely fresh fish. Owner chef David Larkworthy participates in the whole farm-to-restaurant thing more than most by contribution his spent grain back to the farmers who use it as organic compost to grow the vegetables he cooks in his kitchen.

Best Doughnuts

Dutch Monkey Doughnuts
3075 Ronald Reagan Boulevard #502
Cumming, GA 30041
Tel: 404.482.3650
This little Cumming doughnut shop isn’t just famous with folks in the burbs, it is well-known throughout the Atlanta area for its artisan, well thought, made-from-scratch doughnuts. Everybody has their favorites. Mine is the glazed buttermilk and cinnamon rolls. For my 6-year old daughter, it’s raspberry glazed or chocolate sprinkles all the way. And my neighbor can’t quit talking about the buttered maple bacon. Grab a dozen doughnut holes for the ride home. Hey, if you are going to sugar splurge, you might as well go all the way.

Best Sandwiches

What? You knew this Roswell newbie wouldn’t just scoop up one award. It’s just too good. The quality of food. The skill of the chef. It’s all there. Be sure to try the Roswell cheesesteak, it might just be better than anything out of Philadelphia.

Best New York Style Pizza

Joe’s NY Pizzeria
1605 Mansell Road
Alpharetta, GA 30009
Tel: 770.640.5637
and…
Verra-Zanno Pizzeria
11600 Medlock Bridge Road
Johns Creek, GA 30097
678.473.0209
Those wondering why we mention two restaurants for this category should know that Joe Amitrano is the man behind both pizzas, so the pizza is identical at both. This well constructed pizza isn’t over sauced and cheesed like so many others, and the crust is light and airy with that perfect crunch and chew interplay. This suburban pizza destination sets the bar for all New York style pizzerias in Atlanta.

Best Neapolitan Pizza

Campania Pizzeria Napoletana
800 North Main Street Suite 100
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Tel: 770.559.4674
Who knew authentic Neapolitan pizza would be a smashing hit with Mellow Mushroom-eating soccer moms? Well, besides owners Jennifer Simmons and Stewart Muller. The rest of us were a little nervous. Eighteen months have passed and a few others have followed in the couple’s flour dusty path by offering up similar pizzas, but no other has been able to complete the whole package (food, service and ambience) the way

Best Burger

Foundation Social Eatery (FSE)
1570 Holcomb Bridge Rd. Suite 810
Roswell, GA. 30076
Tel: 770.641.8877
This new Roswell hot spot is making frequent appearances in this “Best of The Burbs” issue, and that should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever eaten there.